


Diamond in the rough

by flightinflame



Category: X-Men (Alternate Timeline Movies)
Genre: Charles Xavier in a Wheelchair, First Kiss, Human Experimentation, Hurt Charles, M/M, Post-X-Men: Days of Future Past, Tenderness, Touch-Starved, Touching
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-03-02
Updated: 2020-03-02
Packaged: 2021-02-27 19:48:41
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,552
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22991242
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/flightinflame/pseuds/flightinflame
Summary: After escaping from Stryker's captivity, the only place Logan has to go is to the school, but he doesn't know what will be waiting for him there.
Relationships: Logan (X-Men) & Charles Xavier, Logan (X-Men)/Charles Xavier
Comments: 10
Kudos: 94
Collections: X-Men Rare Pairs 2020





	Diamond in the rough

**Author's Note:**

  * For [nosaur](https://archiveofourown.org/users/nosaur/gifts).
  * In response to a prompt by [nosaur](https://archiveofourown.org/users/nosaur/pseuds/nosaur) in the [xmenrarepairs20](https://archiveofourown.org/collections/xmenrarepairs20) collection. 



> **Prompt:**
> 
> Touch-starved Charles with gruff but gentle Logan

Raven hadn't been able to stop the army taking Logan. There were too many soldiers there, all armed to the teeth and ready to fight. But she'd been able to give him some information, and promise that she would find him.

It had taken time. Time in which he'd had yet more of his humanity stripped away, peeled back as though his flesh were the skin of the banana, his hopes and fears and thoughts disappearing in pain as metal was forced beneath his skin. The pain from that would have been enough to kill most men.

Logan wasn't most men. He'd had no choice but to endure each and every test that had been thrown at him, because there was no easy way to make them stop, no way that he could deaden the pain that coursed through him, until it was done. Until the claws that had served him for most of his life were replaced by blades, until he was reminded with every step that he was a weapon. 

He thought of Magneto, the ease with which he had impaled him before, and hoped that he wouldn't have to deal with him again.

Eventually though, he had gotten out, and he had headed back towards the one place that might make sense. The mansion, where Chuck was waiting. Because he didn't know what kind of man he'd find, but he knew that the Professor was the best man he'd known. He knew that even as the world had fallen apart and things had gone wrong, the Professor had been a good man. Those memories were flashes now. They had been softened by the fact that part of him - that other him - was gone. 

But he held onto it, because he had nothing else. Because he trusted Chuck. And he pulled up outside the mansion, bracing himself for overgrown chaos.

The grass had been cut, and the nameplate fixed back on the gatepost. As he walked up, a little girl who was reading on a bench by the door spotted him. Her eyes widened, and she turned and ran straight through the wall into the house.

Logan smiled and shook his head, concentrating on that image and Chuck's name.  
 _I'm sorry,_ Chuck's voice sounded in his head, as clipped and perfect as ever. _I am afraid that Kitty hasn't quite grasped how to be subtle with her powers. Still, if you would join me on the ground floor office?_ There was a note of hope in Chuck's voice which almost surprised him. But with nowhere else to go, Logan walked up to the door, and made his way in.

The house looked clean, if a little lived in. There were signs of children, of life, everywhere. It reminded him of what he glimpsed in flashes, from the other self's memories. The school had been a good place, once. It would come to be that place again.

He headed to the study, mind full of the broken man who he had found when he'd first looked. He didn't think that would be the man to greet him today, not after the changes that were obvious everywhere he looked.

Charles was sat at his desk, papers scattered around him, but he wasn't reading them. Instead, he was staring straight ahead, looking up at Logan curiously.  
"You came back."

"I did," Logan agreed, walking forwards. "Had a few scientists fuck me around, thought I'd come here." It was easy to sit down in the chair, but he saw the flicker of fear on Chuck's face, and it worried him. Chuck had no damn reason to be scared of him, not after everything they'd been through together. He held his tongue, waiting for Chuck's move.

Chuck smiled, and moved his chair around the table so that they were sitting face to face. Logan sniffed the air slightly. It wasn't fear, for all that Chuck was looking unnerved. It was relief.

He reached out, brushing his hand against Chuck's arm, and Chuck shivered for a moment, leaning in against him.  
"Chuck?"

"Show me what happened?" Charles asked, tapping his forehead. Asking for permission. Carefully, Logan nodded, and fell quiet as Charles reached into his memories. Charles never pushed too deeply, but it was still uncomfortable having someone rifling through his mind. Still, Charles seemed to understand, before he pulled away with a look of horror in his eyes.

"I'm sorry I wasn't there for you."

"It's alright," Logan promised. "You're here now. And I'm alright. We... I just have to hope we fixed the timelines."

“I believe you did. I don’t… if you haven’t, that is on us. But you might have given our people a second chance. Thank you.” He reached out, his hands brushing against Logan’s own before he pulled away. “You were very kind, to help us.”

“It was for me.” Logan answered, noticing a hint of pain in Charles’s eyes as he moved back again. “Chuck?” He frowned. “You… you holding up alright?”

“I’ve been very busy,” Charles started, and the words sounded hollow on his tongue. “I’ve been trying to manage a lot of things for the school, and Hank’s had his own concerns, and… well, thank you. Obviously I can give you a room if you wish to stay, or ensure you have all you need if you don’t-” There was worry in his voice, and Charles was still unsure. This wasn’t the man he’d known, or the broken man he’d found. This was someone else entirely.

“Charles, what’s wrong?” Logan asked, as gently as he could, because the pain in Charles’s eyes felt unnatural there.

“I thought I’d lost you.” Charles murmured, managing a watery smile. “I mean, Raven walked away, and Erik, and we… Hank searched the riverbed for you. But I thought you were dead, or you’d…” _turned your back on us. And I understand that, I know that we’re trouble, but… you gave me hope. You gave me purpose, and the thought I wouldn’t even be able to thank you for it - it hurt._

“Not gonna miss the chance to hear you say thanks, Chuck.” Logan snorted, but he reached out, because he could see how small Charles looked, how much he needed to be held. He could give him that. When his hand brushed Charles’s, Charles jumped a little, staring wide eyed.

Logan had never been particularly good at telepathic speaking, but he was willing to try. He concentrated, pressing forwards the words he was trying to convey. It was something his Charles - the ageing professor - had taught him. And now he would pass on a message to this frightened younger man, because it was needed.   
_You can be in my mind, if you want to._

There was a sense of relief that wasn’t his own, and he felt Chuck’s mind press through his. It wasn’t violent, more like water flowing through sand. The look on Chuck’s face could best be described as bliss.  
“You okay there?”

Chuck nodded.  
“Sorry, I’ve… getting my power back, I’ve been trying to hold myself at a respectful distance. Their thoughts are so loud, all the time, but at the same time… I don’t want to make them hate me and…” Chuck shrugged, and Logan could see he was shivering.

“Fuck.” Logan muttered to himself, getting to his feet and wrapping his arms around Charles’s sides, stroking careful fingers through his hair. Chuck gasped, shuddering and whimpering, and Logan just held onto him because right now that was what was needed. He could cradle him close, protect him. Chuck sobbed, shivering, and Logan wondered if there had been any comfort offered to him while Logan was away.

Eventually the shivers subsided, and Chuck smiled.  
“I’m sorry about that. A little overly emotional, I can try to be more careful now.” He cleared his throat. “If you are really willing to stay at the school, I can assure you your contribution would be appreciated. You would be able to help a lot with some of our older students, they should learn some self-defence.” 

Logan relaxed a little. That was the Chuck he knew, always planning, always focused on the job. He could work with this man.   
“Sure, whatever,” he muttered. Chuck’s eyes lit up, and he nodded, reaching out to squeeze Logan’s hand as though barely able to believe he was allowed to. Logan squeezed his hand back.

Charles hesitated.  
“I saw your thoughts about me. I was a mess when we saw each other…”

“You were,” Logan agreed. “And I… admire the you I remember in that other time, but… my feelings to you are different.”

“You don’t admire me?”

“I admire you very much.” Logan answered, and that response knocked the teasing smile from Chuck’s lips. “But I have feelings towards you that are quite different. As you can see.”

“As I can see.” Chuck agreed, leaning forwards in his chair, pulling Logan closer. Logan let him, leaning in so that their lips met. A shiver of delight ran through his mind, and he didn’t know whose delight it was. 

“You sure about this?”

Charles nodded, and sent Logan a feeling of that conviction. Logan hesitated. This could be a bad mistake.

What the hell.

He leaned in for another kiss, arms wrapping around Chuck’s thin body.


End file.
